History of St Lucia

St Lucia is an island nation in the Caribbean named after St Lucy of Syracuse. At alternate times it has been a French and British colony, with control of the island switching back and forth between both countries at different times until Britain finally succeeded in wresting control from the French.

People who live in St Lucia are mostly of African descent, other ethnic groups including East Indians, Europeans as well as people from the Middle East and Asia. Due to it's British leanings, the official language spoken in St Lucia is English but other language variations exist as well. One popular language which is spoken by a majority of the population but which is not an official language is a creole language mix known as Kwéyllaka. Unlike most other countries colonized by the British however, the predominant religion is St Lucia is of the Roman Catholic variation. An excess of 70% of the citizens of St Lucia are Roman Catholics and this is often reflected in a number of festivals which are held all round the country and which tourists are witness to.

Major Cities / Towns owe their origins to the French part of the country's history. The capital of the country is Castries, named after the Marquis de Castries in 1756. Before then the city was known as Carenage. Other than being the capital of St Lucia, Castries is one of the main tourist locations in the country featuring an assortment of hotels, restaurants and resorts. Castries is also a major port for cruise ships navigating the Caribbean seas. The main airport providing access to the city is the George FL Charles Airport. Rodney Bay is another popular town, in recent times it has been associated with the blockbuster movie "Pirates of the Caribbean" which was shot on location there. One could easily mistake the bay for pictures of Monte Carlo with the amount of yachts and boats berthed there. Rodney Bay is also home to St Lucia's largest shopping mall as well.

Gros Islet is one of the newer towns and it is easily becoming one of the most popular. It was only recently upgraded from a village to a town and a number of important cricket tournaments are played out there at the Beausejour Cricket Grounds which hosts an average of 15,000 visitors.